Calvin Synod Herald, 2004 (105. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-03-01 / 3-4. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 A Letter from “Mom” Hello to all of you from the frozen tundra on Beyerle Hill, Hope all of you are warm and cozy in these frigid temperatures!! ! The ones who think this weather is the best right now have got to be my dogs, Bogey and Reno. Those two go out about 100 times a day just to romp and play. I am going to have one seriously developed bicep in my right arm from opening and closing the patio door!!! It’s always amazing to me how God gives me messages to write about. Today I was writing in my prayer journal and was taken back by the sentence I had just put down on the paper. It read, “Lord, I am so very thankful that You don’t change your mind about things like men do because if you could change your mind about your moral laws you could change your mind about me and my salvastion.” Wow!!! What a deep thought and you can be sure I know it didn’t come from me!!! I decided to really spend some time thinking about what I had just wrote and share it with you. I have been deeply saddened lately watching and listening to people talk of their “politically correct” views on moral issues. How they are sure we must move forward with the times, that God’s moral codes are archaic and stifling. That anyone who adheres to such thought is a bigot and backward. We slide as a culture further and further from God and the media applauds. So sad. But today in my prayers I found a great comfort, a great encouragement to stand my ground. In 1st Samuel 15:29 it says, “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for he is not man, that he should change his mind.” Or Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man that He should he, or the son of man that He should change His mind.” God isn’t like us, He does not change His mind about the things He says are true, He does not lie, what He says stays the same. Instead of that being a bad thing, it is a blessing. You see, if God can change His mind about what He sees as sinful, then He could change His mind about us!! About our salvation!!! Then where would we be? No guarantee of eternal life. No freedom from the punishment of sin. No mercy. It would be left to a whim or a feeling or a moment. But thankfully God is not like that. He stands by what He says, He DOES NOT CHANGE! In God’s eyes sin is still sin. Lying, cheating, stealing, murder, adultery, sex before marriage, homosexuality, drunkeness, cursing, etc. are still wrong. He has not sent out a revised version of His commandments or moral statutes, He said it, He meant it. And for as much as man has tried to change things by saying he feels they are now right, God stays the same. And as much as that may anger some it should encourage the Christian. For while God has not changed His mind about sin, He has not changed His mind about salvation either. It is still, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” In these times of moral compromise where things change from day to day from wrong to right and right to wrong, it’s comforting to know that God is the same. “I, the Lord, do not change” Malachi 3:6. We can be assured that our salvation is sure, that we can trust in a God who is not swayed by popular opinion. And remember, God is not the God of idiots and mindless followers, He desires we think and sift things through His word, reasoning along with Him. It is only then that we can truly see the truth. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord...” Isaiah 1:18. Something to think about. With bts of love Kathy “Mom” (Kathy Smith is a member of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. She is very involved in Christian youth ministry and the Hungarian Church Camp that takes place every summer. She writes these inspirational letters once a month to continue to encourage her “Camp Kids” throughout the year.) treasurer complained this morning that we spend too much on books compared to building repairs. The men who finally became elders knew Reformed doctrine and they understood the demands of the pastorate. They loved the old Reformed Sabbath and they saw church finance in terms of tithing. Even more important, these men prayed with me for our people and understood my limits as a pastor. What I have suggested is not politically correct in Calvin Synod. But you ought to know that if a pastor gets the men’s attention that will get the women’s attention. Notice in 1 Timothy that the officers’ wives are required to meet nearly the same standards as the officers. As I understand our Hungarian heritage, it seems to me the basic unit in Hungarian society has always been the couple anyway. Here is how discipleship works in Manassas. If I don’t get something done it is an elders’ fault for not picking up after me. The elders understand the system and nothing is every their fault, deacons should be appointed to pick up after the elders. Deacons are never at fault because the congregation should have nominated more deacons. And finally when a member of the congregation finds a spider web he knows that is his little spider to feed or drive off to another church. We have discovered the root to peace and harmony; recruitment. As the Reformed Presbytery grew, the officers from Manassas carried their full share and more helping other churches. Consequently, in Hanover presbytery one does not dare suggest an addition to Reformed Presbyterianism’s “revealed form of government,” but the word has spread that a man ought not to assert he is an elder if he doesn’t know his catechism and if the two-year-olds won’t vouch for him. I think the same pattern will work in Central Classis; Western Pennsylvania has enormous resources in our Hungarian Churches. I still do not understand discipleship, but I am pastor of a church served by elders who know Scripture, recite catechism, and stay on good terms with very short people. The Bible proved sufficient for us when we couldn’t figure out the manuals. Until someone can teach me how to do discipleship, I think I will stay with what I know works. Dr. Edwin P. Elliott
